


the air she feeds me is damned

by ThisQueenShallConquer



Category: Black Lagoon
Genre: F/M, Fake Marriage, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Rock just wants to go home, Undercover
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-30
Updated: 2017-09-30
Packaged: 2019-01-07 07:06:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12228021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThisQueenShallConquer/pseuds/ThisQueenShallConquer
Summary: their bond was forged in cigarette smoke.





	the air she feeds me is damned

****

“He still gone?” Rock asks, doing his best to appear as though he hadn’t just been lingering in the doorway. It’s not like he’s some creep, he hadn’t been staring, merely pausing to take in the scenery. It’s rare that they’re ever in a place like this, a five star hotel in Hong Kong is hardly a typical day at work for them. But this _is_ work, at least until they can be sure that their target is gone for the evening.

“Use your own fucking eyes, Rock” Revy snorts in a very unladylike manner, it makes the corners of his mouth twitch.

Everything’s been so stuffy this past week, and honestly, if Rock knew what a pain in the ass this job would be he’d have turned Chang down. But the pay is good. That’s the only reason they accepted this stupid mission, going under-cover is hardly something they’re used to.

It harder than anything they’ve done before, keeping a low-profile in Japan (or at least trying to) was easy in comparison to having to play the part of an upstanding wealthy couple.

In terms of logic, Rock understands Chang’s reasoning. He needs someone to keep an eye on a business associate turned traitor, at least until he can spare the man power to have him killed. It’s also probably wise to pick two people who aren’t actual members of the Triad, it eliminates the risk of them being recognised. _And_ it’s not like he and Revy are doing all the work either, Benny’s got the guy’s room bugged and telephone tapped and is monitoring things from his position back home, they’re just the faces of the mission. Plus he and Revy blend into the crowd in Hong Kong far more easily than Dutch or Benny, it doesn’t take a genius to figure that out.

Truly, they’re probably the perfect people for the job.

Rock still can’t help but be pissed off about it all though, just because he _understands_ the logic, it doesn’t mean he has to like any of this. Pretending to be his old self is strangely exhausting.

Honestly, he expected Revy to be the one to struggle with this. She’s not the type to hide behind facades, she’s blunt, upfront and stand-offish at the best of times, under-cover really isn’t her scene. Not to mention her dislike for affectionate contact, he knows it’s not been easy for her this week, having to deal with all the PDA that comes with pretending to be a ‘proper’ couple, so different from their usual undefined dynamic.

Rock can’t say that he’s hated having to ramp up the physical contact though.

But surprisingly Revy’s handling it well, perhaps better than him. He just can’t seem to decompress, meanwhile, she spends their down-time sprawled across their shared king-sized bed, watching shitty action movies and ordering room-service on Chang’s dime – well, _he_ orders, Revy can’t speak the language to save her life, ironic considering she’s the only one between them who’s actually Chinese.

And right now, she certainly looks the part of the pretty young wife, only he knows that a stone-cold killer lurks beneath her perfect exterior. Well, that old bastard who’d gotten too handsy with her at the desert table had come pretty damn close to knowing _exactly_ how dangerous Two Hands can be. But Rock’s adapt at damage control where his colleges are concerned, and managed to guide her away before she could shoot him between the eyes. And if he just so happened to twist the heel of his shoe into the old geezer’s toes than that’s a _complete_ coincidence.

“I’m taking that as a yes” he mumbles, handing her a glass of over-priced champagne. She knocks it back in one smooth motion, his eyes follow the line of her throat.

He’s pretty drunk, he regrets finishing his own drink back at the bar, it’s only now that they’re finished with work for the evening that the alcohol has really hit him. And champagne has somehow always brought out the worst in him, perhaps it reminds him of all those corporate parties, of the pressure and the anxiety clawing at his throat. Rock’s even starting to miss the cheap watered down beer that Bao serves back home.

The role he’s playing now is a definite step up from what his actual life was like, he certainly could never afford to stay in a place like this, and he never kept a girlfriend long enough to get anywhere close to marriage. Still, the stiff clothes and the heirs and graces are a little bit too close to the knuckle for him to feel comfortable.

He can’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of relief that this is only temporary. Rock is most certainly very grateful that his life took such a dramatic U-turn, with more than a little help from Revy. Perhaps the champagne is making him sappy, because things like ‘fate’ and ‘destiny’ are starting to pop into his head.

_Jesus Christ…_

Rock rests his elbows on the stone railing surrounding the balcony, looking over at the pristine grounds. A cigarette would be good about now. Perhaps Revy reads his mind, because he can feel her hand slip inside the outer pocket of his jacket, fishing around for his lighter.

“You’re gonna get wrinkles” Revy taunts, It’s only then that he realises he’s been scowling. Revy’s good at cutting of a person’s train of thought, it’s part of the reason why he started hanging out with her so much in the first place, it’ hard to stay stuck inside your own head with someone like Revy around, turn your back on her for two seconds and she’ll be off terrorising the city.

“Eda’s not gonna wanna fuck you anymore if you keep that shit up” she smirks, her voice a little muffled by the two cigarettes caught between her teeth. She lights them both in one practised motion, plucking one from her mouth and passing it on to him. He gratefully takes the offered cigarette, not caring about the smudged lipstick around the tip. A few lung-fulls of smoke and he suddenly feels more human and less like a corporate zombie.

He can’t help but feel amused though, because Revy can never let the Eda thing lie. It’s hard to fight the relief he feels flooding through his body, because it’s helping, talking about home, about Roanapur, it’s nice to know that this time tomorrow this whole shitty job will be over with.

But, for the record, he has no interest in fucking Eda. She’s attractive and all, but he’s not into blondes, he’s more into whatever colour you’d call the redish-brown strands that are currently curling against his partner’s shoulder blades.

He gets a bit caught up for a few seconds there, watching how her loose hair falls around her shoulders, it’s not until he sees Revy shift beside him that he snaps out of his drunken trance. She’s pulling off her shoes, or is at least _trying_ to, yanking unceremoniously at the delicate straps. It seems she doesn’t give two shits about handing them back to Chang in pieces.

It makes Rock grin just a little.

Because it’s a disservice to her, in his mind, to dress her up like this. He knows Chang has a wicked sense of humour, something that was made apparent by the selection of clothes he gave them, but looking at Revy all dolled up like the sort of girl he used to take home to his parents…it makes something curdle like sour milk in the pit of his stomach.

Revy’s more than just some piece of arm-candy, she’s shards of a broken human being held together by her sheer own will-power, trying to make her look like anything else just seems wrong, she’s a force of nature, not some trophy wife. Rock’s not afraid of admitting to himself that he likes her the way she is.

The backless dress _does_ look good on her, he’ll admit, _but still,_ the sentiment stands, he’d much rather see her back in her tank top and cut-offs. And not just because they show off more skin.

She didn’t need to come here, not really, he could’ve handled this job alone. There’s no major danger, they’re tracking a crooked business man not a sharp-shooter, it purely surveillance and he’s far better suited to lying through his teeth than his partner is, It’s amazing what years of sucking up to your corporate bosses will do for your espionage skills.

But he’s grateful to have her here, and not just because of the gun hidden inside her designer clutch. She’s his best friend, where she goes he follows and, apparently, it’s vice versa if her presence here is anything to go by. Either way, his point is, he _appreciates_ her being here, she didn’t have to do this for him.

Not that he’ll ever bring it up. Only someone with a death wish would try digging through Revy’s feelings and he’s not in the mood to dodge bullets tonight.

The collar of her dress droops low as she struggles with the delicate buckle of her shoe, cursing – not so quietly- under her breath the whole while. The remaining guests in the large function room are starting to send them weird looks through the open doors. Hopefully they don’t understand English but their muttering s would suggest otherwise. Not that Rock cares all that much about their cover anymore, his eyes flicker to where her tattoo is poking out now, curving elegantly over the strong line of her shoulder.

Rock reaches out without another thought, pulling up the neckline, his fingers lingering briefly on her collar bones. It would probably blow their cover, or at least draw unwanted attention to themselves, if the other hotel guests were to see Revy’s tattoo. The opinions on such things are a little stuffier in this part of the world then in the US or Roanapur, it would raise a few eyebrows to say the least. It’s one of the reasons they’ve been careful about it, always picking outfits that would be able to hide it, even if Rock’s rather missed the hypnotic swirls of black ink.

Rock wishes he could say that this is all about maintaining appearances, but it’s not, he stopped caring about this job after that fourth glass of champagne. It’s just an excuse to touch her and probably a rather transparent one at that.

Revy freezes and Rock pulls his hand away as if retreating from a viper. All this week they’ve touched in some form or another, they’ve _had_ to, husbands and wives show affection, even Revy knows that much. Rock’s always had an arm wrapped around her, had her hand tucked in the crook of his elbow or had his fingers resting dangerously low on her back. It’s been one of the few things that have made this job bearable.

But he’s grown too familiar it seems. Their charge has gone to bed, there’s no need to keep up the charade.

Revy blinks once, twice, and then snaps out of it, straightening up, elbows resting back against the railing as she fixes her gaze on him, cigarette perched precariously between her lips.

It’s not like they never touch back home. They’re fuck buddies for Christ sake, but there’s a line, an unspoken one that Revy drew way back when they started hooking up and Rock’s never had the balls to cross it. Getting all lovey-dovey is clearly off the cards when it comes to Revy and he has learnt to respect that. He may want more but he’ll take what he get from her, whatever she’s willing to give.

But it appears he’s been pushing his luck this week. After the night he’s had, crashing on the couch in their hotel room doesn’t sound very appealing…

“Such a fuckin’ pansy” Revy drawls, bringing him away from his racing thoughts “most guys try to take _off_ a girls clothes, Rock”

She’s screwing with him, he can tell by the quirk of her lips and the glint in her eyes. She tugs at his tie, loosening it a little, and either he’s drunker than he thought or she’s giving him the once over right now. Perhaps her statement wasn’t just meant to mock him, perhaps it was a hint for something to come later.

Rock could certainly do with the stress relief.

Rock huffs out a laugh because _really_ , he’s wound way too tight now, his mind running away with itself. He pushes away from the barrier, handing her his cigarette for safe keeping before kneeling down in front of her.

“Foot” is all he says and Revy wobbles slightly as her lifts up her right leg, the height of the shoe making it hard to balance. She doesn’t seem uncomfortable though, doesn’t even seem mildly surprised that he’s offering her assistance, most likely familiar with his white-knight complex by now. Or perhaps the boundaries Rock believed were so finite were actually never there to start with…

It’s certainly something to dwell on. Just not right now, not tonight.

He untangles the intricate straps of her shoes with ease, sliding it off her foot and kicking them to the side. Rock can’t help but feel a little less on edge now. Perhaps it’s the combination of Revy’s presence and the smell of Tabaco. It’s familiar and reassuring - after all, their bond was forged in cigarette smoke.

Revy hits his shoulder with the bend of her knee and Rock stands up, helpless to her call. He watches as she taps the burnt ash off his cigarette, battle-worn fingers pressing it back against his lips.

“Thanks Revy” he murmurs, his mouth curving ever so slightly. It reminds him of that time all those years ago, in the back of that police car – _“I’m right where I’m sitting Revy, I’m not anywhere else”_ \- it’s nice to know that those sentiments are not one sided, that Revy’s not planning on ditching him either.

He makes a mental note to never drink champagne again, it’s definitely making him way too sappy.

She rolls her eyes, lipstick faded lips curving up into a lazy smirk and Rock feels the tight knot in his chest come unravelled. “C’mon” she hums, stubbing her cigarette out against the railing, letting it fall carelessly over the side “Let’s go to bed”

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys!  
> I had to wrestle with this one a lot to get it how I wanted. Still not sure I'm 100% happy with it but I wanted to get something up before work gets too intense.
> 
> Feel free to check out the playlist I made for these two on 8tracks, there's never enough fan-made stuff for these two and it always helps get me in the right mind-set before I starting writing!
> 
> https://8tracks.com/northern-queen/gun-smoke


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